Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

For
this large series Kunisada designed the Okubi-e (actor
bust-portraits) and anywhere from another one to four other
artists designed the rest of the work in each print.

After some years of research regarding this series Simon Henry
gives the following summary in March 2010:

[1] The real title of the series is Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e, which
translates as, The Flowers of Edo: A Collection of Famous
Places.

[2] The series ran from the 12th month of 1862 to the 1st month
of 1865. That means that Kunisada designed prints for this
series right up until the last two weeks of his life - which is
why the series ended prematurely. I have found evidence in the
translated text that the series was planned to go to one hundred
[100] prints but obviously never made it that far, as Kunisada
died.

[3] Twenty-one artists in total collaborated in the production
of this series. That makes it one of the biggest artist
collaborations in all of Japan's greater art history and likely
the largest artist collaboration within the entire Ukiyo-e
period.

[4] Each print highlights the 'finest / most treasured' aspects
of an individual Edo district - which is where the title comes
into play, The Flowers of Edo. The panels in each of the works
are in an arrangement that displays a Title Section [which has
the name and Troop number of the local Fire Department in it], a
Scene from the District, a Significant Story about the District
and a Kabuki Actor portrait that relates to the District in some
way [as well as classical songs, poetry, historical accounts and
commercial advertisements that are associated with the famous
locations too].

A NEW ANTIQUE JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINT [UKIYO-E] REFERENCE
BOOK.

THE FLOWERS OF EDO: ASPECTS OF THE EDO-NO-HANA MEISHO-E PRINT
SERIES
BY SIMON HENRY. 2010.

EXCLUSIVE BLACK LEATHER COVER [1ST] EDITION - LIMITED.

This book is the only work to examine the complete number of
prints from the rare Ukiyo-e series, Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e.
Of note is the clear and concise way in which the findings
of the author's decade-long investigation are presented.
Simon Henry offers succinct, key information concerning the
print series in a format that serves as a quick find
reference tool. The volume presents large, high-quality,
full colour images of all seventy prints, which are
accompanied by English translations of the ancient Japanese
text. The Flowers of Edo: Aspects of the Edo-no-Hana
Meisho-e Print Series stands as an indispensable source of
Ukiyo-e art knowledge, ideal for students, teachers,
historians, art dealers and collectors alike.

The Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e series is a beautiful and
sophisticated instrument of ancient Japanese artistic and
literary display. It is a body of work that chronicles the
material and intellectual concerns of late Edo period Japan,
not more than a few short years before it was irreversibly
changed by the extensive social reforms of the
Western-influenced Meiji Restoration.

The project is a means to explore something of the
relationships between print artists of the time and with
twenty-one contributing illustrators, stands as the largest
collaborative enterprise ever completed with Japan's Ukiyo-e
art history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Simon Henry currently lives in Sydney, Australia. Holding
Bachelor of Art Theory and Master of Art Administration
degrees from the University of New South Wales, he has spent
the last ten years researching the Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e
Ukiyo-e print series.